ON THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA. 89 



lateral line almost horizontal, those above in rows parallel with the 

 lateral line, these becoming more or less irregular posteriorly and ex- 

 tending upward and backward below soft dorsal ; about 7 rows of 

 scales on the cheeks, 1 row on interopercle, 1 on subopercle, and 7 

 on opercle ; temporal region with a few large scales in about 2 rows ; 

 base of soft dorsal and anal scaly ; tubes of lateral line each with 

 4 or 5 branches. Dorsal spines strong, the outline of the fin not 

 greatly convex, the fourth spine longest, 2^3 in head, the tenth spine 

 4 in head ; margin of soft dorsal well rounded, the middle rays 

 longest ; twice length of last, 2^ in head ; caudal not deeply forked, 

 the upper lobe longest, 1 ^ length of middle rays, which are 2 in 

 head ; margin of anal well rounded, its middle rays twice length of 

 last 24 in head, the first ray reaching about to middle of last when 

 the fin is depressed ; anal spines strong, the second larger than third, 

 2>y$ in head ; ventrals 2 in head ; pectorals reaching to front ot 

 anal, lyi in head. Color of young in life greenish, with about 8 

 very narrow vertical paler bars on body ; scales of lower part of sides 

 with central orange spots, forming faint streaks along the rows of 

 scales ; belly pearly ; head greenish ; a blackish streak from snout 

 through eye to nape ; a narrow, sharply-defined blue stripe below 

 eye from snout to angle of opercle ; no lateral spot ; spinous dorsal 

 edged with orange ; ventrals, anal, and caudal pale orange-yellow ; 

 pectorals paler. The adult examples differ from the young in the 

 vertical bars being fainter or obsolete, and in the absence, usually, 

 of the blue stripe below eye and the dark stripe on. temporal region ; 

 the soft dorsal, anal, and caudal are always yellow, of varying inten- 

 sity, and the edge of the spinous dorsal is orange, not dusky ; the 

 whitish area below the eye, very constant in JV. jocu, is wanting in 

 N. apodus." 



This fish is usually called simply "Schoolmaster" by the resi- 

 dents of Biscayne Bay and the Keys. Weight to 3 pounds ; average, 

 1 to \y 2 pounds. Caught: Rod and reel, still fishing, bottom, No. 

 9-12 line, 2<f , Z% hooks. Bait : Crawfish best. Edible, A. 



